Iowa View: Information security holes put us at risk every day

11:26 PM,
Aug. 15, 2013

Computer keyboard with combination lock

Written by

Steffen Schmidt

The Internet is a risky place. Hackers probe every nook and cranny of cyberspace looking for weaknesses in security systems. When they find vulnerabilities they strike and steal such things as passwords, credit card data and bank account information. Sometimes they penetrate a network and drop malware into the system that enables them to monitor traffic and abuse this secret access, often for years.

Rarely does a week pass when there is not another story of Internet abuse. From Congress to the Department of Defense, from major banks to discount clothing stores, millions of Americans are ...